Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce.. Argentina-Bolivia-Brazil-Chile Colombia-Costa Rica-Cuba-Dominican Republic- Ecuador-Mexico-Nicaragua-Paraguay-Peru-Republic of Central America-Uruguay - Argentina-Brazil Chile Costa Rica-Cuba-Dominican Republic-Ecuador-Haiti--Nica- ragua Panama Paraguay-Peru-Republic of Central America-Venezuela. Left to right: John W. Garrett, Secretary General of the Conference: Jonkheer H. A. Van Karnebeek of the Netherlands; Mr. Sao-Ke Alfred Sze of China; Mr. Arthur James Balfour of Great Britain; Charles Evans Hughes, Secretary of State of the United States; M. Aristide Briand of France; Senator H. E. Carlo Schanzer of Italy; Baron de Cartier de Marchienne of Belgium; Prince Iyesato Tokugawa of Japan; and Viscount d'Alte of Portugal. VOL. LIV JANUARY, 1922 No. 1 PERU'S NEW EDUCATION LAW E By ARTURO TORRES. Instructor of Spanish, University of New York. VER since the year 1910 the Peruvian Government has been considering radical changes in the law of public instruction enacted in 1901. A special committee was created for the purpose, and a new law drafted which, with such amendments as were deemed necessary by the Executive, was promulgated February 5, 1921. The new organic education law not only is very comprehensive in its scope but contains many important features more or less new to Latin American codes of public instruction and worthy of study. The divisions of the law are as follows: Section I. Organization and administration. Section II. Primary education and normal schools. Section III. Secondary education. Section IV. Higher or university education. ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION. Although all branches of education are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Instruction, the provisions relative to organization are intended to give administrative officials ample independence of action, to insure that positions requiring technical and administrative ability are filled by thoroughly competent persons, thus placing education above the sphere of political influence. Means are also provided whereby public interest and initiative may be utilized. In drafting the new law an attempt has been made to have it conform as far as possible given the social, political, and economic conditions in Peru-to the most approved principles of school administration. The regulations and budgets for primary and secondary education proposed by the Director General of Education will be promulgated by the President of the Republic and the Minister or Secretary of Education, who will also approve appointments for the higher positions under the director general's office, regional superintendents, and principals of secondary schools. A National Council of Education, composed of seven salaried members appointed by the Executive for a period of seven years, exercises advisory functions, its duty being to render opinions on the regulations and curricula in force or on matters relating to primary and secondary instruction; to conduct investigations and make such recommendations to the Government regarding amendments to laws or regulations as the council may deem advisable. The Director General of Education, appointed by the Executive for a four-year period, with the possibility of reappointment, is invested with all the authority and responsibility required for the successful conduct of his office. His duties as technical and administrative head of primary and secondary instruction correspond to those incumbent upon a commissioner of education in those States of the United States having a centralized school system. He is a non-voting member of the National Board of Education, and the head of the General Bureau of Education ("Dirección General de Educación "), which has been completely organized as the directing center of a modern and progressive educational system. The bureau is made up of the following officials and divisions: 1. The director of examinations and curricula, who as chief of the division presides over the national board of examiners appointed by the department on his recommendation. 2. The director of school libraries and museums, and chief of the division of books and supplies. 3. The director of school building construction, who is chief of the division. 4. The chief of the division of property, income, and accounts. 5. The chief of the division of personnel and statistics. 6. The chief of the division of files. 7. The chief of the office division and secretary of the general bureau. An innovation worthy of mention is the creation of a regional directorship of primary and secondary education in each of the administrative divisions of the Republic-northern, central, and southern. These directors or superintendents, who are appointed by |